Agriculture, Food, and Food Security - Dragons and Tigers: A Geography of South, East and Southeast Asia - page 125

such as grasshoppers, crickets, and caterpillars, and at
least 10 different diseases that exist in Bangladesh. As we
have just seen, BT crops are not the answer either.
In India, 30 percent of fruits and vegetables (40 mil-
lion tons) are wasted each year due to gaps in the “cold
chain.” Not only is there insufficient cold-storage capacity
but also there are not enough refrigerated trucks or suitable
roads that are even in close proximity to farmers. Conse-
quently , there are millions of farmers who are not part of
the beneficial “cold chain.” Moreover, cold storage is very
expensive—the cost is twice that of Western countries.

mestic ducks from live-bird markets in Hong Kong.
It is thought that the ducks did not initiate the
virus but rather contracted it from other types of
birds such as chickens that had much higher rates
of infection. Again in 2000, Chinese ducks im-
ported into Hong Kong were found to be infected.
However, fatal disease in ducks was not reported
until 2002 for fear of ruining the export market. By
2005, scientists learned that infected ducks can
spread the lethal disease for a period of at least
17 days via respiration and that their feathers are
also contaminated.
The number of ducks reared in China increased
more than three-fold from 223 million in 1985 to
725 million in 2005. Many of these birds are reared
in ponds, potentially allowing contact with wild
birds. Given the prevalence for live-bird marketing,
lack of segregation of species, and unsanitary hold-
ing conditions, avian flu is more likely to spread to
more birds and humans.
China and Vietnam account for 75 percent of
the global duck population Figure 5-5. Ducks are a
relatively high-value product and are often trans-
ported long distances to markets. Duck production
in Thailand is no longer a local industry; Thai
ducks are also shipped over long distances.
Several studies correlate the rearing of ducks
with rice paddy cultivation. The relationship is not
yet clearly understood, although contact with wild
birds is still thought to be a factor in the spread of
the disease. A similar association exists in the
Mekong and Red River regions of Vietnam. V accina-
tion and regulated breeding programs have not eradi-
cated the disease, and outbreaks occurred in 2007
and 2008. In Hong Kong, it is now illegal to ship
ducks with other types of birds. Nevertheless, avian
flu remains a problem, especially in southern China.
When severe avian flu outbreaks occur, hun-
dreds, even thousands of millions of chickens and
other poultry face death through disease or culling
(killing infected birds). This results in an immedi-
ate loss of livelihood for hundreds of thousands of
poultry smallholders. In addition, a significant
number of people have died from the disease, and
fear of a human pandemic is leading many con-
sumers to reject poultry .
Significant reduction in purchases hits both large
and small farmers heavily by creating monetary losses
in regional and international trade. Even countries

Avian Flu

Avian flu is a question of animal health. Avian in-
fluenza has been recognized as a highly lethal gen-
eralized viral disease of poultry since 1901. By
1955, it was called the “fowl plague.” Since then, it
has been found to cause a wide range of disease
syndromes from mild to severe in domestic poultry .
Disease outbreaks occur mostly in chickens,
turkeys, and ducks. However, more virulent strains
can emerge by genetic mutation.
In 2003 and 2004, avian flu infection spread
widely to three continents, initially through East
and Southeast Asia, and then into southern Russia,
the Middle East, Europe, and Africa. By 2006 it had
struck South Asia. There is considerable circum-
stantial evidence from Russia, Europe, and Mongo-
lia that the virus was caught from wild birds.
However, the epidemiological aspects of the disease
are still not fully understood.
Once avian influenza is established in domestic
poultry , it is highly contagious. Infected birds ex-
crete the virus in high concentrations in their feces
and also in nasal and ocular discharges. Once intro-
duced into the flock, the virus spreads through the
movement of infected birds, contaminated equip-
ment, egg flats, feed trucks, and service crews. The
disease spreads very quickly when birds are kept in
close contact. The virus can also be airborne.
Ducks are seen as important vectors of avian
flu. The presence of high quantities of virus in do-
mestic ducks is found in a system where live poul-
try are moved long distances and sold in live-bird
markets. Untested birds can easily spread disease
across borders. The first recorded cases of infection
with two types of viruses were found in 1997 in do-